Wiz on Letterman

Thanks to Doug's late night message, I did set my DVR and caught Wiz Khalifa's performance from Letterman last night. He performed the song "Roll Up." Here's the video:

Pretty good performance. The worst part though is that DJ Bonics is getting this much attention. There was a time when Wiz Khalifa wasn't good enough for DJ Bonics, he of the immense fame that comes from hosting a shitty radio show and spinning live at Pittsburgh's hottest nightclub, The Matrix. Funny how things change. Someone needs to tell the DJ Bonics story in the comments. Did you know that he recently had a heart attack?

Technology, is it really a sign of our advancement?

I was walking home from work today and had to contemplate numerous times whether I would zig then zag, zag then zig, or walk straight and barrel right into a few on comers as they text or surfed on their smart phones. Maybe this is just annoying to me because I own a dumb phone, but since when did it become my responsibility to be careful when I am walking and be careful to look where other people are walking. I see people walking around as if they are using a steering wheel, but two things are wrong: 1) it is not a steering wheel, it is a phone and 2) even if it were a steering wheel the driver is driving drunk careening back and forth. This made me think of my 3 biggest problems with technology.

1.Smart phones: Just because you have one doesn't mean you have to be staring at it and using it non stop all day, no matter what you are doing. Seriously, do you really need to check your email while walking down the street or get a fantasy update between reps at the gym? And besides, doesn't your neck get sore?

2. Ipods/MP3 Players: I love my Ipod just as much as the next person, but when did it become common for so many people to use their Ipod/MP3 player and headphones while driving. Over the weekend and recently I have seen a lot of people driving and/or getting in/out of their cars while still listening to their headphones. Call me old fashioned, but I always thought it was cool to pound bass so loud out of my car stereo that the car would vibrate, now just having ear buds is enough to show your true coolness.

3.YouTube: Just because you can out yourself on the Internet doesn't mean you should. I mainly bring this up because of the recent web sensation song "Friday" because it was the overwhelming jukebox winner at the Pirate game. Seriously, how can being so bad make so many people so famous. This reminds me of the Renaissance writer Erasmus and his work "The Praise of Folly" in which he ridiculed society for rewarding stupidity in hopes that the world would progress and become enlightened. He would be spinning in his grave.

All Time Sports Jerseys

Over the weekend we received a special shipment of our old hockey jerseys when we first began playing. Reminiscing about jerseys of yesteryear inspired me to make a top 5 list of the major sports jerseys. I know some people like to rank by classic, unique, or what ever, but this is just based on my taste.

Top 5 NHL Uniforms:
1. Pittsburgh Penguins, White, Back to Back Cup Era
2. Edmonton Oilers, Blue, Gretzky era
3. Chicago Blackhawks, Red, Roenick era
4. Los Angeles Kings, Black,Gretzky era
5. Calgary Flames, Red, 80's

Top 5 MLB Uniforms:
1. St. Loius Cardinals Home Uniform
2. Los Angeles Dodgers Home Uniform
3. Philadelphia Phillies 80's Away Uniform
4. Chicago White Sox, Black Sox Scandal Era
5. Pittsburgh Pirates, Away, Last Winning Season Era

Top 5 NFL Uniforms
1. Oakland Raiders Black
2. San Fransisco 49'ers, Montana Era
3. New York Jets, White
4. San Diego Chargers, Powder Blue
5. New Orleans Saints, All Black

Top 5 NBA Uniforms
1. Boston Celtics, Green
2. Los Angeles Lakers, Yellow
3. Chicago Bulls, Red
4. San Antonio Spurs, Black
5. Los Angeles Clippers, Red

Top 5 NCAA Football Uniforms
1. USC Trojans, Red
2. Alabama Crimson Tide, Crimson
3. UCLA Bruins, Powder Blue
4. Pitt, Blue, Script Era
5. Florida Gators, Blue

Top 5 NCAA Basketball Uniforms
1. UCLA Bruins, Powder Blue
2. Georgetown Hoyas, Blue
3. Marquette Golden Eagles, Yellow or Blue
4. Syracuse Orange, Orange
5. DePaul Blue Demons, Home White

Disturbance in the stands

Wow, check out this blog post, the story behind the video is about two thirds of the way down the page. Dan, Matt and I were at this game. I remember at one point a bunch of people were standing and looking out towards the left field bleachers. This must have been what they were looking at:

Golf Season is Here!

Golf Season is Here



It is the time of year to dust off the gold clubs and warm up the swing. I am looking forward to playing golf this season. The Post Gazette had a great section listing all local public golf courses and I wanted to share it with everyone. See you at the tee box.


Public golf courses

The Legend of Good Gibbons

Well, the story goes as follows. (roll old fashioned music) A group of young gents headed to a local tavern, Gene's Place, for a nightcap. The young gents were finding a place to stand before ordering.  Chris and I looked on the wall and there was an old, crumbled sign (very similar to the one on the bottle) that said "Gibbon's" with the price (possibly $1.50). Chris and I decided to order one, and so the legend began. Following that night we went back and ordered round after round. We passed on the story that anytime you order a Gibbon's you must buy one for someone at the bar and they must do they same to pass on the Good Gibbons. What will live on even more is the famous quote, "Hey barkeep, get this man a Gibbons!"

Gibbons is brewed by Lions Brewery, Inc. in Wilkes-Barre, PA. This clean crisp beverage is not available in many bars and distributors.  It was last seen in Duffy's Pop and Beer Warehouse on Curry Hollow Rd.  If the classic 16 oz bottles look dirty, they probably are due to Gibbons eco-friendly recyclable bottle initiative. 

Thoughts and Observations

In honor of Bob Smizik's bullet pointed blog and not meant as some John Steigerwald curmudgeon rant (wow, did he ever go off the deep end) here are some random thoughts and observations:

• Went to Dunkin' Donuts in Oakland for my weekly Friday buying coffee out day.  Line is always to the door at 8am.  Bunch of Nebby Debbie's in line ahead of me taking forever to get their donuts.  One would think that a customer would know what they wanted when they go up to order especially if you are standing in line for a long time staring at the donut selection.  Just wanted a coffee and get on with my day.
• Staying in Oakland, ground has been broken to construct an Eat 'n Park on a portion of the Schenley Plaza across from Hillman Library.  I kind of liked all of the green space, but money talks
• Hoping the Pirates contract with right-wing radio station 104.7 FM ends soon.  Tired of hearing the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity promo's about what great Americans they are.  What's worse is going to bed listening to a game and waking up to Quinn and Rose in the morning.  Hey Quinn, go back to making the B94 Quinn and Banana Show...what a hack.
• Borders Books is closing in Bethel Park and East Liberty/Shadyside, the only two places I liked to buy books.  They had some decent coupons too. Always liked going out and searching for books at a store, options are dwindling, I guess I'm left with Barnes & Noble,
• Watched the McDonald's All American game with incoming Pitt recruit Khem Birch, the 6-9 F/C played really well, 15 pts 10 reb and 6 blocks.  He looks really athletic and runs the floor well.
• New Pitt football coach Todd Graham sounds a lot like George W. Bush, hopefully he's a better coach than Bush was a President.
• It was brought to my attention that country singer Neal McCoy, made famous by being on an Old Milwaukee Pounder can showcased at Kopy's Bar is coming to Pittsburgh.  An article and pic of the billboard by a Blast Furnace author to come?
• Wiz Khalifa's new album came out and debuted at # 2 on the charts.  It's ok, a few good songs, but sorry to say it isn't in the same class as "Show and Prove" or "Welcome to Pistolvania"
• Mark Madden filled in for Mike Prisuta on the 'DVE Morning Show last Tuesday, he was surprisingly tame and polite.
• Always wonder when I'm sitting in traffic on 51 how many people are listening to 'DVE at the same time as me whether it be the "Electric Lunch" with Michelle Michaels or the drive home with Sean McDowell....then I have to turn the channel cause one of their many terrible songs is requested and I'm no longer a part of the community.
• Sorry, not into Hines Ward and Dancing with the Stars, never watched it and don't plan on it.  It seems to be the talk of the town

Until next time......

The Forbes Fictional 15
You’re not imagining it: The rich do keep getting richer. Even the fictionally rich.



The members of our 2011 list of wealthiest fictional characters have an average net worth of $9.7 billion, up 20% from last year. In aggregate, the Fictional 15 are worth $131.6 billion --more than the gross domestic product of New Zealand. To qualify for the Fictional 15, characters must be known, both within their fictional universe and by their audience, for being rich. Net worth estimates are based on an analysis of the fictional character's source material, and where possible, valued against known real-world commodity and share price movements. All figures are as of market close, April 1, 2011. Read more…


http://www.forbes.com/lists/fictional15/2011/forbes-fictional-15.html

Overcoming Giambi

Pirates won dramatically last night, clawing back from a 3-0 first inning deficit to win it with a walkoff hit from Jose Tabata in the 14th. At least it must have been dramatic for those watching or listening, instead I was followig it using Stattracker and Twitter because it wasn't televised.

The most interesting thing I learned on the night though is that Jason Giambi is still playing baseball. I vaguely remember him being on the Rockies roster last year, but was pretty sure he had already retired and gained 150 pounds when I saw this courtroom illustration of him from the Bonds trial just earlier this week:

"Trust me, I know fun"

I had it in my head all day that I'd be flipping back and forth between the Pirates and Penguins games tonight. The obvious realization that they are on the same channel and thus the Pirates would get bumped didn't occur to me until about 30 minutes before game time. Anyways, I overheard this gem of a story while walking the streets of Dormont this evening from a guy on his porch talking on his cell phone just loud enough so any passersby would hear with envy just how much fun he really is:

"...we'll get dropped of at [indistinguishable], then picked up again by the limo bus and taken to [some other club or party], etc., etc. You gotta come, it's really gonna be fun. And when I say "fun," not to brag or anything, but I know fun. It'll be one of those times when everyone will say afterwards, 'I had so much.'"

I, of course, was duly impressed. Though I think he wasted this awesome tale of fun on me, who was walking down the street with his gimpy dog and carrying a baby in the Baby Bjorn.

Notes from Opening Day

Yesterday was Opening Day for the Pirates and even though we got thumped, it's always fun to be in attendance for the first ball game of the year. Here's the view from the third base line with Walker at bat and McCutchen on deck:

(not pictured: Mayor Steelerstahl, who was seated a few rows from where this picture was taken.)

The most important development from the game, however, was that Garret Jones' new choice of at-bat music is Enter Sandman. With Doumit being introduced with Mother by Danzig before him, I'll posit the theory that there is no greater possible back-to-back at bat songs possible. Those are the two best songs possible for striding up to the plate and feeling like a bad ass. Anyone disagree?

Also, here's what my choice would be if I were a Major League Baseball player, the opening riff from Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult:

Bill Hillgrove Day

Bill (right) with long-time partner Dick Groat (center) and Pitt Coach Jamie Dixon (left) courtesy of post-gazette.com

Today has been proclaimed Bill Hillgrove Day in the City of Pittsburgh.  The longtime announcer of the Pitt football (37 years) and basketball teams (42 years) and the Steelers (17 years) will have his day in the sun.  The Pittsburgh native had the privilege of calling four Super Bowls, a college football national championship, and countless top ten NCAA basketball games.   In 2007, Billy became a winner of the Chris Schenkel Award which is presented by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame which recognizes a sports broadcaster who has "enjoyed a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football at a single institution."  Only three other college basketball announcers have a longer tenure than Mr. Hillgrove.

Today's activities begin with an 8 a.m. mass at St. Lawrence O'Toole Catholic Church in Garfield followed by a proclamation at 11:30 a.m. in the courtyard of the downtown City-County Building and a 2 p.m. reception at Petersen Events Center.

Here's to Bill, Pittsburgh won't know what to do without you when you finally hang up the headset.

Read more: The Voice of the Pittsburgh sports gets his day - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_731215.html#ixzz1Iw1R5Ume

Double M's Pizza Guns for Safety

The sign board outside Double M's Pizza serves as a warning to would-be criminals and a recommendation to his employees: "We Now Carry."  Having come face-to-face with a would-be armed robber, North Charleroi Pizza Shop owner Mark Miller has some advice - protect yourself; pack heat.

A white male dressed in black wearing a black ski mask, walked into the shop at 372 Pennsylvania Ave., 10:45 p.m. Saturday, brandishing a shotgun and demanding money.  "I picked up a dough tray and went behind there and told my driver, 'Get your cell phone. Call the police. Let's go, let's go!'" Miller recounted

Miller said the robber walked back outside, got into a car and drove away. He said this was the first time in eight years his business has been targeted by a thief. No injuries were reported, but the owner said he doesn't want to take any chances so he's urging employees to arm themselves while working.

Miller's stance has been met with guarded support from the law enforcement community.  Is it coincidental that the robbery occurred in a town with a police force of one full-time officer.  "Would a lessened level of police service contribute to the occurrence of these issues?" said Southwest Regional Police Chief John Hartman,  "It could. If that wasn't true, why would communities pay for police?"

Now for the absurd quotes from the Washington County District Attorney Steve Toprani ; "You have to exercise due care and be cautious."  Dangerous weapons exist for a reason - to protect.  You have to be fully cognizant of the dangers of carrying a deadly weapon. When you carry a firearm, you have to be willing to use it."

For the full story see http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/email/s_730954.html?_s_icmp=et

Preakness, have you no shame?

A new mascot for the Preakness Stakes has been unveiled.  The mascot's name, "Kegasus," is in honor of the hard partying infield crowd of Pimlico.  This mascot was introduced in hopes of bringing back record crowds to the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown.  Attendance has been down the last couple of years due to the recently implemented alcohol policy that banned fans from bringing in their own beer into the infield.  Pimlico officials are trying to recapture the legendary spirit of the event by charging $20 for a refillable cup that entitles fans to unlimited beer refills with purchase.

In honor of the Pimlico's policy change, I will recount my experience at the 2008 Preakness Stakes. 

May 17, 2008 was a gorgeous sunny mid 70 degree in Baltimore, MD where my brother Pills, friend Chris, and I ventured out of Pills' downtown Baltimore apartment to watch the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown.  The horse races started at 10:30 am and the post time for the Preakness Stakes was 6:09 pm.  We had purchased infield tickets after hearing tales of the drunken debauchery and entertainment that took place inside the track.  Pimlico had a policy that anyone could bring beer into the infield without purchase as long as you did not posses any glass bottles or weapons:  our first order of business, buy beer and take the subway to Pimlico. 

We decided on a 30 pack of Natural Light, a Maryland favorite, and a bag of ice.  In order to get to the Metro station at Lexington Market we had to walk a few blocks to a historically African American area known as Camden.  While walking the streets with a case of premium pilsner beer we heard comments from some of the locals like "man they gonna have a good time today."  Being the only three white people in a lower class neighborhood in a crime-ridden city was a bit unnerving at first, but what the heck, we were on our way to watch one of the biggest sporting events in the country and all was good.  We boarded the Metro for the 5 1/2 mile trip, beer and ice in hand and we were off into the abyss of the Baltimore ghetto.   During our thirty-three minute trip we noticed that our bag of ice was melting and a puddle was forming on the train floor; the water then started running up and down the train car floor.  Embarrassingly we hurried off the Metro at our stop and boarded a transit bus to get us to the track.

On the bus a clueless elderly English couple was sitting near us taking in all of the scenery of the area often seen in the HBO hit series "The Wire."  The short bus trip ended and it was time to walk through the neighborhood.  I had been to the mean streets of Baltimore once before and Pills worked as a school teacher at the infamous inner-city Frederick Douglass High School so we knew what to expect, but Chris' jaw-dropped at the dilapidated conditions of the neighborhood.  Men and little kids were pushing shopping carts up and down the street asking everyone who had beer or picnic baskets if they could load up their cart and push everything to the gate for a small fee, many obliged.  Residents were barbecuing on their front porches and selling it to race fans, they were also selling out their bathrooms; $5.00 to use.  Teenage girls were even swinging from their porch railings like pole dancers.  People were passed out on the ground near the parking lot before they even entered; the local kids had some fun with the drunks by poking them with sticks to see if they were still alive. The community members really got into the spirit and you could tell this was a big day for them, I felt good for them too.  For all of the talk about the items you couldn't bring into the venue, it seemed as if you could bring just about anything.  Security was very lax, just a few locals at the gate asking if you had any bottles or weapons, not even a pat down or a check of bags. 

As we entered the infield the first things we saw were inebriated males and females being carted out by paramedics and bloodied faces of brawling college-aged kids (not sure if they were actually in college due the lack of intelligence and trashiness I observed), we were in disbelief.  Then came the "Toilet Run" where some moron would try to run across the tops of a line of Porta Johns while being pelted by spectators with beer cans.  They would usually slip off and violently fall to the ground.  We staked out a spot on the muddied grass and soaked everything in.  A crowd of 112,222 people made for the perfect scene for the people watcher:  countless brawls, throwing up, public urination, and stumbling glassy-eyed drunks.  Pills, Chris, and I made fast friends with a group after convincing them that we knew them and that was the reason why we were taking beer out of their cooler.  Drunks would come by scavenging through garbage looking for alcohol using all of their primal instincts.  A woman even picked up a couple beers stuck in mud and asked if she could take them home for her husband to drink; "I'll just wash 'em off and he'll never know the difference."  We even had an encounter with a forty-something year-old gentlemen resembling Det. Stan 'Wojo' Wojciehowicz from the 70's TV series "Barney Miller."  'Wojo' was dressed in a plain ball cap, white shirt and tie and taking Polaroid pictures of the chaos to prove to his family that the Preakness was crazier than the Kentucky Derby.  The logic for the Polaroid he claimed, was because a digital picture could be manipulated.  He then tried hitting on some really good looking girls, but stumbled and fell over.

There was horse racing going on during the day, you wouldn't have known it had you been in the infield, but I made several bets during the course of the day.  I was excited for the Preakness Stakes; Big Brown was the heavy favorite after a dominating performance in the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier.  I decided to place a $2 wager on trifecta box on the main event; Big Brown, Macho Again, and Icabad Crane and wouldn't ya know, they placed in 1-2-3 and I took home $150. 


After collecting my winnings it was time to head back to Pills' spacious apartment.  On our way out we observed a shirtless redneck playing basketball with some black kids.  It was nice to witness true inter-racial harmony.  Chris decided to buy a "Polish hot dog" from one of the residential entrepreneurs’ and we had a nice little chat with them while Chris ate.  Before boarding the Metro we saw three teenagers handcuffed on the platform the last memorable image we had of the day.  It was a long day, and being out in the infield all day walking through god-knows-what, it was time to get back, take a shower and relax before our trip home to Pittsburgh.  We were glad to have been a part of the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes, it was a unique experience.  Maybe Pimlico can recapture some of the past glory by loosening the alcohol rules again, sadly Chris, Pills, and I won't know.

Pimlico in all its glory

'Wojo' and his Polaroid camera

Batman to the 'Burgh

The third movie in the Batman trilogy titled "The Dark Knight Rises" will be filmed in Pittsburgh this summer and is scheduled to be released in July 2012.  Christian Bale will grace us with his presence and we can only hope that he has one of his legendary meltdowns in the Steel City.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11096/1137240-60.stm